Mass in quantum Yang-Mills theory (comment on a Clay millenium problem). (Q1566075)

One of the Clay Millennium Problems is the Yang-Mills Existence and Mass Gap in Quantum Yang-Mills Theory. The problem is to prove that for any compact simple gauge group \(G\) quantum Yang-Mills theory on \(R^4\) exists and has a positive mass gap. Both physical motivation, background, known results and possible approaches are written in the article [ \textit{A. Jaffe} and \textit{E. Witten}, Quantum Yang-Mills Theory, Clay Mathematics Institute Millennium Prize Problems]. A. Jaffe and E. Witten proposed an approach to the existence problem by lattice regularizing and limiting process, and the mass gap by requiring duality transformation (a non-classical change of variables). The classical Yang-Mills does not see dimension parameter as the mass, the mass gap can only appear in the quantum Yang-Mills theory. The paper under review is to comment on the mass gap problem from ``dimensional transmutation'' point of view, and to give intuitive ``one-loop'' approximation only. As the author states, ``these comments in no way show the direction for a solution of the problem''. Section 1 recalls the Yang-Mills action \(YM(A, g(G)\) over the principal \(G\)-bundle connection space for dimensionless coupling constant \(g(G)\). The mass is briefly explained in section 2. The main body of the article is in section 3 Dimensional Transmutation. Formally let the Lagrangian of Yang-Mills action be \(Z(g(G))= \int e^{i YM(A, g(G))} \,dA\). And the stationary phase approximation gives \(Z(g(G)) \sim \sum_{A_c} e^{i YM(A_c)} \det (\text{Hessian } YM(A_c))^{-1/2}\), where \(A_c\) is a Yang-Mills solution with prescribed asymptotic condition and \(\text{Hessian} YM(A_c) = d^*_{A_c}d_{A_c} = D_{A_c}\) a second order differential operator and the summation over all the solutions \(A_c\). Up to regularity, \(- \frac{1}{2} \ln \det (D_{A_c})\) is related to the quantum version ``Reidemeister torsion'' for some quantum complex induced by the Yang-Mills solution \(A_c\). The the gauge invariant property of \(YM(A_c) - \frac{1}{2} \ln \det (D_{A_c})\) will have \(g(G)\) the only dimensionless parameter, as the author roughly derives. The term will not depend on \(g(G)\), but a new dimension parameter, namely the mass \(m\). Whether there is a way to see the mass gap is mystery from the first ``one-loop'' approximation. The last section 4 is for an explicit example on the ``dimensional transmutation'' under the process of regularization.